My Granny Series

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The Story Behind the Series

Born from the loss of my Granny, the My Granny series takes a look into the relationship between Leah (me) and her Granny (my great-grandmother). Taking place mostly in Granny's trailer in backwoods Louisiana, each story tells a piece of Granny's heart from sewing to gardening, yard sales to truck stop trips.

When my Granny passed, I needed a way to immortalize her. Having a headstone in Kentwood, Louisiana wasn't enough; Granny deserved more. Reading and art have always been huge parts of what makes me ME, so it seemed fitting to combine the two into a memorial that could potentially last for a very long time.

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Book One: Sew Long, Granny

The first book of the series is Sew Long, Granny which takes a look into Granny's most precious hobby - quilting. I was to every day of my life since birth & am an avid bookworm, today, so I wanted to create something that small children could read with their parents or grandparents. I also wanted to keep her way of quilting alive! So many of my friends, when I'd tell them about her quilt rack, had no idea what I was referring to. Y'know when you get to a certain point in your childhood where you realize every family is different? To me, the quilt rack is just what your Granny had at her house - I figured they all had one!We'd go to the fabric section of Walmart or Joanne's, Hancock Fabrics in Baton Rouge... or she'd find some dresses or shirts at yard sales with nice prints she'd cut up. She always got up around 430 in the morning and would leave all the lights off in her single-wide trailer except for her small, gold lamp hovering over her quilt while I slept. I never saw her house without her quilt frame and I never saw Granny without a needle in her hand. If the public receives it well, I will continue with her stories in a number of series additions!

Granny loved taking me to the fabric section of Walmart or Hancock Fabrics in Baton Rouge... or she'd find some dresses or shirts at yard sales with nice prints she'd cut up. She always got up around 430 in the morning and would leave all the lights off in her single-wide trailer except for her small, gold lamp hovering over her quilt while I slept. I never saw her house without her quilt frame and I never saw Granny without a needle in her hand. If the public receives it well, I will continue with her stories in a number of series additions!

My intentions with this series, and this book, in particular, is to keep Granny going and spread her all over the world. To think that her memory only hovers in the backcountry of Louisiana is unacceptable to me - Granny needs to keep traveling!

I did it all myself. Through CreateSpace, anyone with an idea can create and self-publish which is exactly what I wanted. Granny handmade all of her quilts until the day she moved on to the next adventure - I wanted my books about her to be created in the same way. It isn't perfect. It isn't pristine nor did some big, fancy publishing house see my idea and spring to it. It was all done at my house starting with pencil sketches which turned into watercolor, which were then scanned and vectorized on Adobe Illustrator. From there, I adjusted colors and whatnot. I made it look how I liked, so I hope you like it, too!

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Meet Granny & Leah

Alma Juanice Dykes

Granny

Born in 1927 in southern Mississippi, Granny was a headstrong, kind-hearted, open-minded woman. She had all kinds of sayings and life advice. My favorite reminder from her was always, "If you're happy, stay happy and don't worry what others say. If you're unhappy then change what you're doing." No matter what was going on with you, she just wanted to make sure you were happy. As long as the answer was yes, you had her blessing.

A fun fact I didn't know until my grandmother, Granny's daughter, told me: Granny did not like her first name, Alma. When she saw it was printed as the dedication and told me, I wondered if I should change it, but OF COURSE, your grandparents always give the best advice. She said, "Leah, you publish this book the way you remember your Granny. That's what she would want and that is what matters to her more than her own feelings." And that is SO TRUE. Granny always put herself last and if she knew that I changed anything about this to please her, she'd get a little hissy and make me change it back.

I always used to joke with Granny and tell her she was older than dirt until I was 14 and learned that she is actually older than sliced bread which began hitting marketplaces in 1928.

Leah Quackenbush

The Favorite Great-Grandchild

Born in 1989 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, I was Granny's first and favorite great-grandchild (and I stick by that!). She called me, "My Leah" which usually sounded like "Malia." I could do no wrong in her eyes and she let me get away with just about anything... but I won't get into detail until the series book on that subject. Ha!

I was raised by my mother's parents who both worked full-time jobs. Nan (my grandmother) worked at the local Denham Springs Newspaper doing ads and Papa (my grandpa) worked off Essen Lane in Baton Rouge at the OLOL hospital making glasses - they now own and operate Spectacles Eyewear in Mandeville, Louisiana.

My daddy, mom (technically step-mother, but her rightful title is mom), two brothers and sister have never lived too far away from me. They also worked full-time jobs, cared for their family and always made sure I had a place in their home. If you asked any of them, they'll tell you the same thing - I was Granny's favorite. Just kidding - they'd tell you she was a sweet woman with a pure heart and the world needs more like her, haha!

Today, I am a mother of two, Air Force wife, diehard Harry Potter fan & Hogwarts Running Club member (SLYTHERIN!), Army veteran, college student finishing my I.T. degree (thank you, G.I. Bill!) and furmom. I spend my days as a virtual assistant for my friend & neighbor who owns and operates Almost Home Pet Transportation (www.facebook.com/AlmostHomePetTransportation) specializing in moving military furbabies whose parents are PCSing all over the world. I also dabble in graphic art, sketch, painting and (obviously) children's books. I am a born leader and have a few hopeful plans in the works, so my future endeavors should be bright!